The Black Guard
by Sergeant OwlFox
Summary: [ HIATUS ] Raven is tired of the endless cycle; be chosen, fight, talk, fight, win, and then start it all over again. He was sick of it. So of course he took the opportunity for a new life, with a fresh start, a new body, even a new world. A world where magic was everything.
1. Chapter One: Awaken

**The Black Guard**

 **Chapter One: Awaken**

* * *

Raven supposed it was to be expected that he would, once again, be selected by some Overlord (as the others called them) and forced to do as the Overlord commanded. It was normal now; he'd be chosen, relentlessly attacked, his only option to fight back, win, then go back to the selection cycle.

Over and over again.

It was boring, as this happened quite often, and he was getting tired of it.

That is why, when a being from another world came, he left.

It was a young girl with blonde hair, pale skin and deep green eyes. She couldn't have been any older than 13 judging from her looks, but Raven could sense an ancient air around the floating girl.

"You're Raven, right?" The girl asked, and the raven-haired young man nodded slowly, gazing at her warily. She giggled, flying in a small circle before 'landing' before him.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" He asked, and she giggled again.

"I am Mavis Vermillion, from Fairy Tail." The name seemed familiar to him somehow, Raven noted. He sat down on the black floor, and the girl did so as well. She continued to smile at him, almost sympathetically. 'Sympathetic for what?' Raven wondered to himself, raising a brow at the girl.

"You didn't answer the second question," he stated firmly, making her laugh. Quite loudly.

"Oh, that's right! I'm from another world, more specifically, Earthland." Raven's golden eyes widened at this. Another world? "I heard a rumor of a young non-mage with a metallic arm that had abilities other non-mages can only dream of..."

"Why did you come? To look at me like some animal in a zoo?" He asked, a heated look in his eyes as he glared at Mavis. The girl just laughed, 'standing.'

"No, of course not!" She pouted, wagging her finger in Raven's face as he scowled. He swiped at her, but she flew upwards to dodge it. "I'm offering to bring you to Earthland!"

Raven faltered slightly, looking at the young girl in surprise. "Bring me to...Earthland?" The words seemed sweet in his mouth, as if he wanted to say them over and over again. She nodded in confirmation, and he frowned.

On one hand, he would be able to get out of this endlessly looping hell hole, but on the other, he would be leaving Elsword and the others possibly forever. After thinking over it for a moment, Raven looked back up at the smiling girl. "Am I allowed to come back here?"

Her smile disappeared, her expression changing into a frown as she thought for a moment. "I believe you can..."

That settled it.

Raven stood up, and rested his cleaver over his shoulder before gazing into Mavis' green eyes.

"I'll come with you."

She smiled, and offered her hand, which he took.

"Let's go..."

And they disappeared after a flash of light.

* * *

Mavis smiled as he took her hand, and whispered something before transporting them back to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall.

When she opened her eyes, she gazed upon a 17-year-old boy, much resembling the young man she was just looking at. Mavis took in his appearance for a moment, slightly dumbstruck, before laughing.

Raven glared at her, flustered by his new appearance. "S-Shut up! What the Hell did you do to me?!" He demanded, turning to glare at his Nasod arm. Raven thought it would be gone since he was back in his teenage years, but there it was, shining in all of its (hideous) glory.

Then again, Raven wouldn't really want to be rid of it; he was too used to it by now.

"I don't know," Mavis stated after calming herself down. "I guess...that Earthland thought it would be better if you were younger?" Mavis guessed, shrugging nonchalantly. Raven glared at her again.

"How can you be so calm?" He exclaimed before flexing his limbs. They were stiff and sore. "How do I turn back?"

"Wait another 9 years," Mavis said simply. It earned her a slap on the back of her head. "Ow~!" She whined before realizing something and turning to Raven in surprise. "How did you hit me?"

"I swung my arm down," he stated flatly, making Mavis frown with a pout.

"I'm a ghost, people shouldn't be able to hit me!" She explained, getting in his face. Raven leaned backwards slightly, still angry at the ghost for making him 9 years younger. He scowled before pushing her away.

"I don't know, and neither do I-"

"Hey, Gramps! There's talking coming from the back room!" A young masculine voice called, silencing both teens. They glanced at each other before Mavis grinned and disappeared.

"Hey, where are-"

"HEY YOU!" Raven turned towards the voice, and saw two boys about his age looking at him from an open doorway. One had salmon hair and a light pink scaled scarf, black vest and white pants, while the other had midnight blue hair, no shirt and swimming trunks.

Raven stared at then blankly for a moment before looking behind him, then looking back and pointing at himself. "Yeah you, who he would I be talkin' to, a ghost?" The dark blue haired one scoffed.

Raven rolled his eyes. 'If only you knew what I was just doing.'

"Who're you?" The salmon haired one demanded, stomping up to the (taller) raven-haired boy. Raven's gold eyes bored into the boy's black ones, unnerving him slightly.

"I'm Raven. Who're you two?" He asked gruffly, breaking his gaze and looking at the dark blue haired boy, who crossed his arms and smirked.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster, the Flame Brain in front of you is Natsu Dragneel," Gray introduced. Raven nodded in both acknowledgment and greeting, before placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder and pushing him aside. He walked past Natsu over to Gray.

"Where am I?" He asked, and Gray looked at Raven in surprise before grinning proudly and grabbing Raven's flesh-and-bone arm, pulling him out of the room and too what appeared to be a main hall. People were everywhere, wooden tables and chairs with a bar, and stairs leading to a second floor, the ceiling looming from high above and banners of an odd creature hanging from above and below large, glass-less windows.

"Welcome to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall!" Natsu stated, clearly proud. Raven raised a brow at them before smirking, looking back to the Guild Hall.

"A Mage Guild, huh..?" He murmured under his breath as he was pulled towards the bar. "Interesting."


	2. Chapter Two: Settle Down

**The Black Guard**

 **Chapter Two: Settle Down**

* * *

Gray pulled Raven to sit down on a stool before the bar, and he felt like someone was smiling at him brightly. Raven looked over his shoulder to see a woman in her early twenties, possibly a year or two younger than that. She smiled at him kindly, and walked over.

"Hello, Gray! Who's your friend?" She asked Gray, leaning on the counter.

"He's not really my friend," Gray stated, before grinning. "I just like the vibe he gives off. This is Raven," Gray introduced, placing a hand on one of Raven's shoulders. The golden eyed male flinched slightly at the contact but relaxed, letting out a toothy grin.

"Yo." Mira smiled and nodded, turning to face Raven.

"I'm Mirajane Strauss, I work here at the bar," she said, holding out a hand. Raven stared at it as if it was some sort of foreign creature, making Gray sigh, and Mirajane laugh slightly. He hesitantly reached out and shook it with his flesh-and-bone hand, very slowly. This only made Mirajane laugh harder. "What's got you so nervous?" She asked after settling down. Raven looked at the bar, at his organic hand.

"I...haven't shaken someone's hand in six years," he confessed, and the two looked at him in surprise.

"Gray." Another voice chipped in. It was feminine, Raven noted. Gray stiffened before turning around, and Raven could swear he was sweating bullets.

"Hey, Erza," Gray greeted nervously. Raven looked over his shoulder (yet again) to see an armor-clad woman with scarlet hair. She reminded Raven of Elesis.

"Greetings," she stated in return before turning to Raven. "And you are..?"

"Raven," he stated, grinning. Erza was a bit shocked with this new young man. The aura he was giving off would strangle her if she wasn't careful. Suffocating. Heavy. Strong.

But not an ounce of Magic Energy.

"Pleased to meet you, Raven," Erza nodded to him in respect, making Gray gape. _The_ Erza bowing in respect? He thought not. "I am Erza Scarlett."

"Yeah," Raven nodded before turning to Mirajane. "We can get a drink, right?" She nodded. " 'You have any tea?" Mirajane stared at Raven, surprised. "What're you starin' at?" He asked, raising a brow.

"O-Oh, no, sorry, you just don't seem like the type to drink tea..." Mirajane laughed nervously, rubbing her nape in a nervous manner. Raven stared at her in an unimpressed fashion before leaning his chin on his palm and looking to his right. It smelled heavily of booze.

"Raven, huh?" A slurred voice asked, and Raven's brow twitched in annoyance as his eyes met those of a drunken woman. "Man, your eyes are weird~," she commented, words slurred once again.

"Come now, Cana, sit up properly..." An aged voice chided, and Raven averted his gaze slightly to his left to see an old (and very tiny) man standing on the bar. He had black eyes and was growing bald with only the outer rims of his head growing white hair. The short man also had a thick mustache.

"Like you're one to talk, old man," Raven stated, taking the offered cup of green tea and sipping it slightly, letting the hot liquid cover his tongue before swallowing.

It had been a long time since he had been able to taste things.

"Oho? Who are you?" The old man asked, turning to Raven with a brow raised. Raven stiffened, feeling the strong air the old midget was giving off. Raven closed his eyes before taking a long gulp, and finishing the cup of tea, slamming it back down on the table.

"You already know who I am, old man."

The old man chuckled.

"Yes, I do. Welcome to Fairy Tail, Raven! My name is Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's Guild Master," Makarov said, and Raven grunted, showing that he had heard the short man. "I got word about you from Mavis..." Raven almost choked on his spit and turned to look at Makarov, clearly startled. "Would you like to join Fairy Tail?"

Raven had only just noticed it now, but apparently the entire Guild had been listening in on their conversation.

"Wow, that's an amazing arm!" Someone commented from behind him, and Raven turned to see a short girl with blue hair and large eyes. She had a yellow band in her hair to keep it from falling into her face, and a yellow dress to go with it. "My name's Levy McGarden," she greeted with a large smile. Raven stared at her for a moment before grinning and doing a two-finger salute.

"Yo, I'm Raven. As you've probably heard about six times by now." A few laughs rippled through the group before the golden-eyed boy turned to Makarov. "Lemme think about it." Makarov nodded.

"And I suppose you don't have anywhere to stay?" Makarov asked, and Raven blushed slightly. Everyone laughed, making Raven glare at them all, shouting: "SHUT UP!"

"Hm..." Raven glared over his shoulder, but the heated look faltered slightly when he saw who it was. "Yo. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Hey, if it ain't the Lone Wolf!" Raven grinned, fist bumping said Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Hey, don't call me that, Ironclad, I go by Gajeel Redfox now," Gajeel grinned, clasping hands with his friend. "How was life back with Elsword? Still boring as hell?" Gajeel asked, pulling up a stool before plopping himself down on it.

"You think?" Raven rolled his eyes, neither of the boys realizing the whole guild was listening in. "And I go by Raven." Gajeel chuckled. "The weird ghost girl brought me here and made me 7 years younger," Raven growled, scowling. Gajeel laughed loudly, slapping the bar as he did so.

"No wonder you look like a brat!" Raven glared at Gajeel.

"Shut the f-"

"Wait, Raven! How do you know this bastard!" Natsu butted in, placing a hand on the raven-haired boy's shoulder. Raven looked up at Natsu, his (permanent) scowl deepening slightly.

"Why d'you wanna know?" He asked in a menacing tone. The pressure in the room seemed to increase, the temperature lowering slightly. Natsu shivered and backed away slightly at Raven's glare.

"Because you aren't from around here," Levy reasoned. Raven turned to her and stared at her for a moment before shrugging.

"I know Gajeel 'cuz he's from where I'm from," Raven stated vaguely, before turning to Makarov. "Hey, old man. I've decided."

He pointed to the center of his chest and smirked.

"Right here. And make it black."

Makarov smiled, and took out the stamp.

That was the day, the hour, the second, that Raven officially wiped his past clean, and started a new life.


	3. Chapter Three: First Mission Part One

**The Black Guard**  
 **Chapter Three: First Missions [1/2]  
**

Makarov pulled the stamp away from his skin and, to his amazement, there was a (shiny) new black tattoo of the odd symbol of the Mage Guild Fairy Tail. 'No... _my_ guild,' he mused to himself as he traced his flesh hand over it.

"Hey! Raven!" The golden-eyed boy looked up again to see Natsu, who grabbed onto his metal arm and dragged him to a bulletin board of sorts. "Check out the Quest Board!"

"A...quest board?" He thought aloud, and his pink haired comrade grinned.

"Yeah! Anything that catches your interest?" He asked.

"A mission?" Raven questioned, and Natsu nodded.

"Yeah, I want you to go on a mission with you! Hm..." Natsu looked over the fliers before ripping one off and reading over it. "Wanna go on this one? It's a short mission, just get some bandits. Maybe we could check that rumor I heard about there, too," Natsu said casually and Raven thought for a moment.

On one hand, he could explore more and get used to his new (and annoyingly younger) body, on the other he could stay here, maybe get to know the others better and find a place to call home for now. As he weighed the pros and cons, he didn't see Levy walk up to him and sit by the stool next to his.

"You're going on a mission with Natsu?" She asked, and Raven looked down at her.

"Maybe, I don't know yet." Levy nodded, and Raven looked over the sheet again. Natsu watched him eagerly, before the golden eyed male sighed. "All right, I'll go. I want to get to know the area better anyways." Natsu cheered, as did a blue, flying cat with wings.

Wait.

A blue cat? With wings? _**Cheering?**_

"What is _that_?" Raven asked, pointing at the strange creature. The cat-thing pouted (how it could pout, Raven could only wonder) at him, its disproportionally small wings still flapping in the air.

"I'm Happy, and I'm an Exceed!" Raven's brows furrowed.

"Exceed? As in 'go beyond?'" He asked, and Natsu shook his head, laughing at the cat. "Ah, Exceed as in a species. A species of flying, talking, blue cats...never heard of them."

"Well, we've never heard of any other Exceeds, so I'd gather that they're either endangered or just really hard to find," Mira chipped in. Raven nodded in understanding.

"Well," he turned to face his pink (ahem, _salmon_ ) haired colleague and let out a slight smirk. "Are we going to head out or not?" Again, Natsu and Happy whooped before grabbing his arm, and running out the door. 'Why does being dragged feel so familiar?' He grumbled, doing his best to keep up with the boy's fast pace.

It took a few minutes of running for Raven to notice that they were running towards to forest and Raven sighed, stopping, which made Natsu and Happy stop as well. "What's the matter, Raven?"

"This is the wrong direction, shouldn't we be heading to the train station to both go the _right way_ and get there faster?" Raven asked, jabbing his thumb behind him. Natsu's eyes widened at the word 'train' and doubled over, one hand holding his stomach, the other over his mouth.

"Natsu!" Happy and Raven exclaimed, hurrying over to the boy. "Are you-"

"I'm...not feeling so good," Natsu forced out, before he pulled his hand away and vomited. Raven stared at the boy coldly, an irritated and hateful look in his eyes. "I'm sorry!" Natsu shouted, suddenly afraid of the new Guild member. "I'll never do it again!"

Raven let out a sigh, wiping off some of the thick and sticky liquid from his chest and glaring at the vomit stuck in his Nasod arm. "You're going to pay for that later. Come on, we're heading to the train station whether you like it or not." Using the metal arm, he snatched the back of Natsu's collar and lugged him over to the platform after paying for tickets. As Raven lay the pink haired boy on a seat, he scowled. "I never knew you were so heavy."

Natsu tried to retort, but the train lurched and began to move. His face went pale and he opened the window, vomiting again. Raven had a rather deadpan expression. "How much do you eat to barf that much..?"

"Natsu eats a lot, so he's always got _something_!" Happy chirped, making Raven turn his blank gaze to the cat.

"Why are you saying that as if it's a good thing..?" He asked, and Happy opened his mouth answer, but Raven quickly added, "that was rhetorical." Happy nodded and the rest of the train trip continued in silence until they reached their destination. Which, before the doors closed, the golden eyed 'Mage' hauled Natsu over his shoulder and carried him off the train so they would get off at the right place.

Happy and Raven waited a moment for Natsu to recover before exiting the station, and walking down a stone path, through a forest, to a large town, almost a city. But it was nearly abandoned. "What happened here..?" Raven muttered under his breath, looking around. Natsu and Happy made a sound of agreement as they did the same.

"E-Excuse me..." The three Fairy Tail members turned to see a woman in her mid thirties, approaching them cautiously. "Are you the Fairy Tail Mages?"

"Yup! That's us!" Natsu grinned, and proudly displayed the red Fairy Tail symbol on his shoulder, Happy showing the green one on his back. 'So that's where it is,' Raven noted, just making sure he was facing her. Having a blamely obvious, dark colored Guild Mark on his bare chest may not be the best idea, but it's not like he'd ever really have to hide his identity.

Hopefully.

"Oh, thank goodness! This way, please," the woman urged, her eyes seeming to darken. Raven squinted at her. Maybe, if he could just use that ability he learned from being controlled by the Overlords. Aura reading, or, in other words, understanding one's motives.

He followed her, of course, but his brows were furrowed, gait stiff and cautious. Natsu took notice to this and turned to his companion. "Hey, Raven, something wrong?" Raven jolted, focus being shredded.

"I'm fine, just thinking..." Raven immediately went back to focusing. Natsu and Happy looked at each other for a moment before shrugging, leaving the golden eyed male to his own business.

'Almost there...almost there..!...got it!' Raven grinned in triumph as a black smoke emitted from the woman. She suddenly came to a stop in an alley, not turning to face them. "Here we are," she announced, and Natsu and Happy looked around, confused.

"Where's 'here?' Where are we?" Natsu asked, frowning. Raven chuckled.

"The plan..." The woman flinched. "It was to get us lost, then kill us, wasn't it?" He asked, and she tensed further. "Though I _did_ use a cheat to know that, it was a bit too obvious. Maybe, next time you lie, try to keep a better poker face."

"Heh..." The woman let out a laugh. "Heheh...hehe...ha...haha..!...Hahaha!" She turned around, a large sword in her hands. "Well, that's the first time someone's been able to find me out," she spat, grinning maliciously.

"Woah! She's a bandit?!" Happy shouted in surprise.

"It's time TO MEET YOUR END!" She ran forward, and Natsu, upon instinct, did so as well. The woman's grin widened, and her knife began to grow. Natsu's eyes widened and he ducked just in time to dodge a swing. "Oho, so many firsts are happening today."

"I couldn't care less." The woman whirled around, only to be met with a metal claw stabbing through her shoulder. She let out a cry, and Raven jerked his Nasod arm back, examining the blood. "I'm sorry, but you've killed to many. The world will have better peace without you."

"Raven...you..!" Natsu stared at the red blood coming out of the woman's shoulder. "Why did you..!"

"Think about it, Natsu," Raven began, his voice cold. "If you had been born, raised for the _sole purpose of killing and completing missions without fail_ , what do you think your first instinct is to do?" His eyes were blank, dead, as he gazed into those of the pink haired boy. Natsu felt unsafe, threatened as they continued their staring match. "I was born to do as I was told by _them_ , those _people_ who control _everything_ from above. I'm a puppet, I only exist for hunting and killing."

Raven shook the blood from his Nasod arm, his eyes suddenly returning to their usual serious yet caring look. "Anyways, I didn't actually kill her so calm down. I cut her nerves, and avoided her bone so she'll be able to heal up but won't feel anything in her right arm."

Happy covered his mouth with his paws, staring at the shivering bandit who was clutching her shoulder. Raven turned to her, and everyone flinched away from the golden eyed boy. "Now, tell me..." He stood in front of her and crouched down. "Who is your leader?"

"W-What do you mean, Raven? Isn't she the bandit?" Happy asked.

"No. She's just some crony of his," Raven replied. "Now, tell me."

The alley was dead silent before the woman gulped, and calmed her breathing. "It...it was-"

 **She never got to finish her sentence.**

 **Her head rolled onto the floor, blood spattering onto the walls and Raven's face, making him flinch back, barely phased.**

 **Natsu and Happy were frightened, scared of the murder.**

 **Why had they come? Oh right, to do something with Raven.**

 **But why did this have to happen?**

 _ **"YOU..."**_ Raven growled, looking to the roof of a nearby building. Natsu and Happy also looked up, to see a man with white hair and a white jacket. The man smiled.

"Yes, me~!" He sang, extending his arm and the, now, blood covered knife flew into his hand. "Long time no see, Raven..."

"ADD...what are _you_ doing here?!"


End file.
